Recycling Wrongly & 4 Other Habits Many M’sians Have That Can Harm The Environment

From flushing the toilet to bagging recyclables, there are many seemingly benign habits that can actually cause environmental harm. Wanna be more environmentally conscious? Keep reading to find out what habits you should break to protect our earth!

1. Recycling wrongly

Recycling wrongly can potentially disrupt the recycling process by negating the entire batch of recyclables, turning them into nothing more than disposable waste. Worse yet, it can also damage the recycling equipment, putting more resources and energy into waste. 

To ensure successful recycling and reduce the demand for natural resources, we should avoid making the following mistakes:

• Not cleaning recyclables first: contamination (e.g. grease, adhesive products) and leftover products (e.g. shampoo, sauce)
• Sorting recyclables incorrectly (e.g. placing tin cans in blue bins that are meant for papers)
• Recycling non-recyclables (e.g. aerosol cans, mirrors, batteries)  
• Bagging recyclables before recycling them (e.g. putting tin cans in plastic bags):
  • Different materials have varying melting points and recycling processes.
  • The presence of foreign materials (e.g. plastic bags) in recyclables (e.g. tin cans) can cause contamination and damage recycling equipment.

2. Disposing of hazardous products improperly 

Hazardous household products like batteries and electronic wastes contain complex chemicals that should be processed before disposal. Sadly, these products often end up in landfills instead of collection facilities like ERTH and IPC Recycling & Buy-Back Centre. 

Improper disposal of hazardous products can cause untreated, poisonous chemicals to leak into lakes and rivers. This not only endangers aquatic life but also poses health risks when our sources of drinking water are polluted. 

3. Flushing excessively

The use of water in flush toilets is highly inefficient—every time we flush, 5-15 litres of clean water travels to the sewerage system to be processed in wastewater treatment plants. Throughout this brief usage of clean water, a huge amount of resources are exhausted and greenhouse gasses are produced. 

To reduce water usage, try installing water-saving toilets or adopting “manual flushing” by using a bucket of water instead of the toilet’s built-in flush. Alternatively, we can also implement the following good habits to prevent water overuse at home: 

• Choosing the half flush instead of a full flush
• Running full loads in the washing machine instead of multiple small loads
• Turning off the tap water when water is not used (e.g. brushing teeth, lathering hands with soap)

4. Flushing pet waste down the toilet 

While it may seem reasonable to flush pet waste down the toilet, doing so can actually lead to water pollution. Unlike human waste, pet waste consists of harmful parasites and germs that can be left untreated in local sewer treatment facilities. 

If flushed down the toilet, germs and parasites from pet waste can flow into rivers, causing water pollution that threatens aquatic life. Therefore, the best way to dispose of pet waste is to bag them and throw them into the bin. Pet owners, take note! 

5. Leaving unused electronic appliances plugged in

While it can seem unnecessary to unplug electronic appliances when they’re switched off, there are devices that continuously use up power even when they’re not in use. Some of these electronics include: 

• Laptops or monitors that are left on sleep mode 
• Media players that automatically scan for updates in the background
• Electronic devices that have glowing indicator lights while not in use (e.g. microwave, digital door lock)
• Home appliances that have an always-on display or internet connectivity (e.g. robotic vacuum cleaner, smart TV) 

Excessive electricity consumption not only increases our electricity bills but also increases carbon emissions since our country’s electricity generation relies heavily on fossil fuels. This contributes to global warming and climate change. 

As you can see, there are so many household habits that can cause pollution and environmental harm. Thankfully, the development of green technology has paved the way for more eco-friendly alternatives, such as:

• Electric vehicles
• LED lighting 
• Sustainable homes, and many more!

In fact, sustainable homes have become increasingly popular among nature-loving Malaysians who are moving into or investing in new property. If you’re also looking for a sustainable home, be sure to check out Gamuda Land! 

Gamuda Land’s GROW Campaign is offering sustainable homes with ZERO Worries financial solutions and prizes worth over RM300,000 in total! 

Wondering what makes their houses sustainable? Here’s what you can expect: 

• Up to 52% energy savings
  • Solar panels: reduce dependency on electricity supply, which lowers electricity bills.

Solar Panel System (Summerwood @ Jade Hills)

• Up to 25% water savings
  • Water Efficient Label Product (WELPS) fittings
  • Rainwater Harvesting system
  • Benefit: Reduce water usage, leading to lower water bills.

Water Efficient Product Fixtures, (Monarc @ Gamuda Gardens)

• Up to 75% heat gain reduction
  • Flat roof: uses Extruded Polystyrene (XPS) Insulation to reduce heat gain.
  • Pitched roof: uses aluminum woven foil to reflect heat in the direction of their source, which reduces heat gain.
  • Thicker and tinted glazing with low e-coating
  • Benefit: Reduce usage of cooling fans and air conditioners, leading to lower electricity bills.

Aluminium Woven Foil Roof Treatment for ILLARIA @ Gamuda Gardens

• Up to 85% natural sunlight throughout the home
  • Double volume building design
  • More windows
  • Internal courtyard
  • Benefit: Save lighting energy by relying more on natural sunlight.

Double Volume Living Room (Mio Spring @ Gamuda Cove)

That’s not it, Gamuda Land has teamed up with Public Bank to provide up to 100% Financing too so you can take up loans with ZERO worries! Here are the benefits you can enjoy:

• Up to 100% financing* 
• Lower interest rates from 3.45%* 
• Up to RM100,000 Green Loan* for: 
  • Eco appliances (appliances with an Energy Efficiency Rating) 
  • Solar products (e.g. solar panels)

Better yet, the first 100 homebuyers of Gamuda Land can also stand a chance to win eco-friendly products worth up to RM300,000 in total*, such as:

• 50″ Smart TV
• Cordless Vacuum Cleaner
• E-Scooter
• E-Bike

*Terms and conditions apply

For more information regarding Gamuda Land’s Green Revolution, visit their official website. Don’t forget to follow Gamuda Land on: 

• Facebook
• Instagram
• YouTube